This is a simple guide to the BLIPMAP parameters I consider
to be most important for basic forecasting of thermal soaring
conditions. Parameter descriptions are not provided here but are available
on the
Parameter Description webpage
and each parameter mentioned below has a link to its description on
that page. Additional details and caveats are also given
there.
A new user might also be interested in
my personal forecasting methodology,
though it is somewhat idiosyncratic to my local conditions and my glider type.

NB: The atmospheric Boundary Layer (BL) is the vertical region above the surface within
which air has been mixed by thermal or wind shear eddies, i.e. the
region where glider pilots normally fly. BLIPMAP forecasts
primarily analyze conditions within the BL, though some non-BL
parameters are also forecast.

For forecasting maximum soaring height unhindered by a cloudbase:
Height of Critcal Undraft Strength (Hcrit)(Higher heights can be reached when small-scale terrain not resolved by the model exists with maximum elevations significantly
higher than the model-resolved terrain)

Parameters not mentioned above, of which
there are many, including wind speed and direction, are intended primarily for more weather-wise users who
wish more information than provided by the the basic parameters.